2023 Summer Internship - DSI/SQS

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At Takeda, we are committed to lifelong learning.

To that end, Takeda's summer internship program blends real world experience with an extensive overview of the pharmaceutical industry. Knowledgeable mentors will provide guidance as you gain professional hands-on experience to start your career or further develop in your expertise.

The summer internship program is a full-time commitment of 12 weeks in length and offers a unique perspective into a world-class pharmaceutical company. Our internship program also provides you the opportunity to network with people at Takeda through various planned events and activities.

Multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) is used to perform a structured benefit-risk (sBR) analysis by combining performance on pertinent criteria with weights of their importance to generate a utility (composite) score for each treatment arm. Generally, weights are derived from healthcare professionals (HCPs). However, focusing exclusively on HCPs ignores patients’ voices. Further, utilizing a single weight for each sBR category, as is commonly done, masks variability between experts. Since disagreements can occur, Takeda is planning to conduct a probabilistic eDelphi to collect distributional data from a panel of experts, including HCPs and patients. This separate study seeks to identify the importance of each sBR category and to measure consensus and variability among experts. Specifically, we intend to record the lower bound, first quartile, median, third quartile, and upper bound estimates for each sBR category associated with a particular health condition. This information will be used to inform our internal MCDA and Monte Carlo simulations. This internship focuses on the latter work.

The intern will survey the MCDA literature and regulatory guidance to understand various ways in which utility scores may be calculated. Commonly, a sum of the transformed performance scores for each sBR category is weighted by its associated importance. These utility scores are calculated for the two treatment arms and a comparison is made to determine if the treatment is superior to the placebo. However, other approaches may exist and merit exploration. The primary focus of the internship will be to program a simulation study to generate such utility scores. Parameters for the performance on sBR categories will be determined from clinical trial data whereas their associated weights will be derived from a probabilistic eDelphi study.

The intern will need to identify the appropriate distribution for each sBR category obtained from the clinical trial data. To meaningfully combine data across multiple sBR categories, it will be important to ensure they are all measured using the same scale. Hence, the intern will need to identify appropriate value functions for transforming these variables into a common metric (eg, dichotomization to generate proportions). Theoretically, weights should conform to a beta distribution with unknown shape parameters. Hence, the intern will need to identify the best fitting shape parameters for the beta distribution, B(a,b), based on the summary statistics for each sBR category or plausible values if such data are not available. Simulations must incorporate the expected variability for patient performance on sBR categories and the weights experts attribute to them. A tipping point analysis will be performed to determine the combination of performance data and weights, within a plausible range for each criterion, that would result in an unfavorable outcome for treatment versus the placebo. In addition to summary statistics, graphical methods should be used to communicate results. This project has the potential to result in a joint publication.

The position is available as either on-site (Cambridge, MA), hybrid, or remote.

• Deadline-driven with a high level of organizational and planning skills

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and oral and written communication skills

• Ability to work well in teams, effectively manage projects, and present ideas clearly and concisely.

• Global mindset to grow in a diverse work environment

• Excellent communication and leadership skills

• Experience conducting Monte Carlo simulations, including simulating various univariate and multivariate distributions

• Experience programming in SAS (preferred) or R, including writing macro code

• Experience writing technical memos or manuscripts for publication

• Experience presenting findings to an audience with a wide array of quantitative skills

As stated above, Takeda is committed to lifelong learning opportunities. To that end, our internship program is open to currently enrolled students seeking early experiences and non-traditional candidates interested in making a career change and gaining new experience.

The requirements for these two groups of candidates are specified below:

Candidates currently enrolled at an accredited university:

• Must be authorized to work in the US without sponsorship (i.e., Takeda will not sponsor interns)

• Must be available to work full-time (40 hours/week) for a minimum of 12 weeks during the summer months. Hours of work are flexible but the core business hours (8 AM-5 PM EST) are preferred.

• Minimum GPA 3.0/4.0

• Graduate or PhD student with at least one year of university studies before internship

• Return to university for at least one semester post-internship

• Takeda does not provide student housing or housing stipends

Non-traditional candidates not currently enrolled at university:

• Must be authorized to work in the US without sponsorship (i.e., Takeda will not sponsor interns)

• Must be available to work full-time (40 hours/week), within core business hours (8 AM-5 PM), for a minimum of 12 weeks during the summer months

• Must provide a cover letter explaining why you are seeking this internship, relevant experience that makes you a good candidate, and what you hope to achieve through the experience

  • Strong preference for non-traditional candidates with some experience relevant to the desired intern role

EEO Statement

Takeda is proud in its commitment to creating a diverse workforce and providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, parental status, national origin, age, disability, citizenship status, genetic information or characteristics, marital status, status as a Vietnam era veteran, special disabled veteran, or other protected veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws, and any other characteristic protected by law.